PTCB Patient Safety & Quality Assurance 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which error type occurs when a patient receives a drug intended for a different patient?
- Wrong dose error
- Wrong patient error (Correct answer)
- Wrong route error
- Omission error
Correct answer: Wrong patient error
A wrong patient error is a medication error in which the correct drug is dispensed but to the wrong individual.
Question 2: What does the abbreviation 'ISMP' stand for?
- Institute for Safe Medication Practices (Correct answer)
- International Society of Medical Pharmacists
- Integrated Safety Monitoring Program
- Institute for Standard Medical Protocols
Correct answer: Institute for Safe Medication Practices
ISMP (Institute for Safe Medication Practices) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing medication errors.
Question 3: Which term describes a list of drugs known to cause serious harm if used incorrectly?
- Black Box Warning List
- High-Alert Medications List (Correct answer)
- Tall Man Lettering List
- LASA Drug List
Correct answer: High-Alert Medications List
The ISMP High-Alert Medications List identifies drugs that bear a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when misused.
Question 4: What strategy does 'Tall Man Lettering' help prevent?
- Calculation errors
- Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drug mix-ups (Correct answer)
- Wrong route errors
- Allergy-related errors
Correct answer: Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drug mix-ups
Tall Man Lettering uses mixed case (e.g., hydrALAZINE vs. hydrOXYzine) to visually differentiate LASA drug names.
Question 5: A black box warning is the FDA's strongest warning about:
- Drug storage requirements
- Serious adverse effects or contraindications (Correct answer)
- Required dosage adjustments
- Drug interactions only
Correct answer: Serious adverse effects or contraindications
A black box warning (boxed warning) alerts prescribers to serious or life-threatening risks associated with a medication.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a medication reconciliation process?
- Billing accuracy
- Prevent medication errors during care transitions (Correct answer)
- Verify drug pricing
- Ensure formulary compliance
Correct answer: Prevent medication errors during care transitions
Medication reconciliation compares a patient's medication list across care settings to prevent omissions, duplications, and harmful interactions.
PTCB Patient Safety & Quality Assurance 1
Which error type occurs when a patient receives a drug intended for a different patient?